Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/469

Rh THE TONGA ISLANDS. 493 ready prepared and cooked ; and also a consider- able quantity prepared by Finow's own house- hold : among these provisions was a good suj^ply of cava root. After the chiefs, matabooles, and others, were all assembled, the provisions and cava were served out in the usual way. During this time no speech was made, nor did any par- ticular occurrence take place. The company afterwards repaired each to his respective house, and got ready for a grand wrestling-match and entertainment of dancing the Mee too Buggi (literally, the dance, standing up with paddles. See second volume.) During the intervals of the dances, several matabooles, warriors, and others, ran before the grave, bruising and cutting their heads with clubs, axes, &c., as proofs of their fidelity to the late chief : among them, two boys, one about twelve, the other about fourteen years of age (sons of matabooles), made themselves very conspicuous in this kind of self infliction ; the youngest in particular, whose father was killed in the service of the late chief, during the great revolution at Tonga, after having given his head two or three hard knocks, ran up to the grave in a fit of enthusiasm, and dashing his club with all his force against the ground, exclaimed, " Finow ! why should I attempt " thus to express my love and fidelity towards D D 2